May 23

Desperate times for tourism on Koh Chang and in Thailand in general. I think it’s safe to say that the High Season is officially over and the Rainy Green Season has begun. With daily rain showers and thunderstorms and the forecast for the next week being more of the same, it looks like the damp weather will keep all but the most determined, or those who have booked and paid for rooms months in advance, away. Plus of course all the travel advisories that painted all of Thailand as a war zone. Koh Chang wasn’t affected in the slightest by the fighting, snipers, looting, arson etc. Although, for the sake of this rather anemic update it would have been better it it had, as I’d have a few good photos to post.

First drowning of the rainy season. The sea has been a bit rougher than usual of late and, along with the flotsam and jetsam, a body, most likely that of a foreign tourist, was washed up on the beach at 7pm last night (22 May) near KC Grande Resort on White Sand Beach. He was a bit decomposed, wearing a black t-shirt and black speedos. There was no obvious cause of death, although being face down in the water for days can’t have been good for him, and apparently the body won’t be easy to identify. Therefore, if you want to see a photo of the body on the beach, purely on the off chance you could help identify the victim and not simply out of morbid curiosity . . . Click Here.

When a GPS might be handy. After seeing the new route that was mapped out for the road from Bangbao to Salakphet (see the photo on May 10 update) I had an idea that if this route was recently surveyed then the odds were that they’d be some kind of trail or markers along the proposed route. In which case, it should be possible to walk it without getting hopelessly lost and running into some ‘Deliverance’ style trouble. As I was in Bangbao a couple of days ago I went to take a look and sure enough the route has been marked out with white plastic bags and spray painted numbers on trees. Unfortunately I only had time for a quick look but if the rain lets up then I’ll probably go back with mozzie repellent, footwear that isn’t flip-flops and a few bottles of water and have a longer walk.

Eating Out. I also had an idea to finally add a ‘Restaurant’ section to the site and so planned to try a few new places out but of the three I tried to visit this week, two were closed already and one had just been sold, and the new owners would take over before next High Season. So looks like I’ll add a few old favourites and then slowly add new places if I can find any open or not up for sale.

Housing Boom. Well, not quite. But construction on a new resort & housing development in the north of the island has just begun. The resort bungalows and the 2-3 bedroom homes for sale will be built of wood and in a northern Thai style, similar to the popular Goodtime Resort on Koh Mak. Only four homes, each on 400sqm Chanote titled land, will be built with prices from 5.5 Million THB. Owners will have use of resort facilities including swimming pool and sheltered mooring for small speedboat / fiberglass fishing boat is possible. If the sun comes out again I’ll have some photos and more details in the next update.

For Rent. In the meantime, anyone wanting to get their hands on a nice bit of land for longterm rent with frontage on the main road and only 50 metres walk to the sea could do worse that take a look at this 1000sqm plot in Bailan that can be yours for the next 14 years for 90,000 Baht/year rent. Mature trees provide shade over most of the land and it’d be a nice spot for a small hut resort or even just to build a bungalow or two to live in permanently. More info and photos of trees Here.

Cheap Drinks. And right next to this land is a little place called Jungle Garden that is worth your time if you are in the area. Tom & Melanie have a funky little bar and restaurant in a garden setting. They concentrate on selling good value cocktails and western snacks such as pizza baguettes and a range of jaffles. Open from mid afternoon onwards.

Welcomed over here Ian, but its raining too with only 11 degrees this morning!
Baht is related to USD and the international finance world is talking the dollar strong. Strong dollar = strong baht, compared to â‚¬. On the other hand it is said that 1,20$ for 1â‚¬ is a fair rate. Than Thailand isn’t cheap any longer for Europeans. But the Ruble is strong too!! :-)

Hi Reinhard
Thanks for the translation, I had a couple of people email to say it meant ‘No Comment’- didnt realise it was Ukranbian though and like you say, I couldnt see how it related to the sign either. (If anyone from Ukraine is reading this, let me know.)

I cant see the Baht staying as strong as this for too long. But Europe is looking pretty cheap for my summer holiday now :-)

Hello Ian,
a friend of mine, she is a native Russian, identified the text of the “traffic sign” as Ukrainian, meaning: “No comment”.
I donÂ´t know how this meaning is related to sign itself, maybe: donÂ´t eat while smoking?
While it is raining in Koh Chang the exchange rate of the Euro dropped from 50 Baht/â‚¬ in December to 40 Baht right now.
You are becoming expensive.
Sincerely
reinhard

remember that photoshopped add you did once of that basket thing up a tree that looked like a wicker walnut?-well in a travel magazine they say it is on Koh Mak and is a place to eat in the trees–the waiters zip line out to serve you